Delhi's AQI at 369 on Diwali eve; several areas record severe pollution

• Delhi records an AQI of 369 on Diwali eve, remaining in the 'very poor' category.

• Air quality at 16 monitoring stations slips into the 'severe' category, with IIT Delhi recording 452.

• Forecasts indicate severe pollution on 8 and 9 November amid unfavourable weather and festive emissions.

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category on Saturday, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 369 as smog enveloped the capital on the eve of Diwali and reduced visibility.

The air quality is forecast to slip into the 'severe' category on Sunday, with festive celebrations, vehicular emissions and the peak stubble-burning season expected to worsen pollution levels.

Of the 59 monitoring stations that recorded data on Saturday, 16 reported 'severe' air quality, while 29 remained in the 'very poor' category. The worst reading was recorded near IIT Delhi, where the AQI stood at 452.

The city's average AQI improved marginally from 382 on Friday to 369 on Saturday, but remained close to the 'severe' threshold of 400. Several monitoring stations had already crossed that mark.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, air quality is likely to remain in the 'severe' category on 8 and 9 November. The outlook for the following six days indicates fluctuations between the 'severe' and 'very poor' categories.

The Central Pollution Control Board classifies AQI readings of 0-50 as 'good', 51-100 as 'satisfactory', 101-200 as 'moderate', 201-300 as 'poor', 301-400 as 'very poor' and 401-500 as 'severe'.

Stubble burning and weather conditions add to pollution

Weather and air quality experts have attributed the anticipated deterioration to unfavourable meteorological conditions, Diwali-related celebrations, vehicular emissions and the peak period of stubble burning in neighbouring states.

According to the EWS, a ventilation index below 6,000 square metres per second, combined with average wind speeds of less than 10 kmph, is unfavourable for the effective dispersion of pollutants.

PM10 was the predominant pollutant in the capital on Saturday.

The Decision Support System (DSS) for Delhi identified the transport sector as the largest contributor to pollution, accounting for 21.4 per cent of the total. Stubble burning contributed 1.7 per cent, with its share forecast to rise to 5.4 per cent on Sunday.

Satellite data showed that 589 crop-residue burning incidents were detected across six states on Friday. Punjab accounted for 357 cases, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 139, Rajasthan with 58, Uttar Pradesh with 23, Haryana with nine and Uttarakhand with three.

A total of 6,226 farm-fire incidents were detected across the six states between 15 September and 6 November, according to a bulletin issued by the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS) Laboratory of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.